Guiding device



Jan. 27, 1942.

GUIDING DEVICE Filed April 9, 1940 R. R. POLLARD ET AL Trop/ver Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITE-o STATES PATENT kOFFICE GUTDING DEvIcErv Robert R. Pollard, East Orange, and Wilson W.

Rea, Chatham, N. J., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 9, 1940, Serial No. 328,642

8 Claims. (Cl. 294-95) This invention relates to guiding devices, and more particularly to devices for guiding'lifting grapples into hollow articles and for guiding the articles into containers.

In the manufactureof copper wire for use in electrical elds, such wire in most instances is drawn to a desired gage and wound on a reel.

wire on the reel, grapples of the typewhich en-` gage the interior of the reels are frequently used and it has been found advantageous to provide 'a guiding device for such grapples so that they may be more accurately aligned with the center of the reel and may more efliciently engage the reel and guide the reel and grapple into a container.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient and practical device Ifor guiding grapples.

With this and other objects in View, the invention comprises a guide for a grapple, the guide having spaced guide members below a stop to guide engaging members of the grapple a denite distance into hollow articles such as -a reel, limited by the stop, and spaced upper guide members to guide the article into a receptacle.

Other objects and advantages will be vapparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of a grapple illustrating the guiding device associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the guiding device for the grapple'illustrating the guiding of the reel and grapple into a container, and

have their outer ends connected to pivots I5 5 which join other links I8, with arms I1 supporting the article engaging elements I I. The upper ends of the links I6 are pivotally'connected at I8 to the housing or othersuitable means carried by the housing, while the arms I'I lare pivotally mounted at I9. rIfhe pivots I 9 are carried by stationary brackets 2U, thatis, brackets which are held against movement with the arms I1. With this type ofv grapple the upward movement of the rod I2 in a definite path will cause simultaneous movement of the engaging elements I I outwardly like distances from the center line of the grapple. 'Therefora if the engaging elements II are lowered centrally into a hollow article such as a reel 22 and moved outwardly like. distances simultaneously, they will engage inner portions of the reel simultaneously and thus form a positive connection between the grapple and the reel.

In reels of this type anv inner flange 23 provides an edge or shoulder which may be engaged by the arcuate teeth 21 of the engaging members. It is, therefore, important that the engaging elements be guided into the reel to centrally locate them. This is accomplished by guide members indicated generally at 24. The guide members 24 in the present instance are formed of equallylspaced rods joined at their lowerv ends-by suitable means such as weldingand extending upwardly and outwardly at, desired angles to form a conical lower portion 25, therods then extending upwardly to form a cylindrical portion 26 and providing openings for the article engaging elements II to pass therethrough in moving into and out of engagement with the reel. The upper ends of the guide members 24 extend to the corners of the housing I0, where, by the aid of integral flanges 28, the members are securely mounted. An annular stop 30 angulariin cross section and disposed concentric with the guide members 24, is conditioned to come to rest upon the end of the reel 22 :to demtely locate the engaging elements.II..in;the reel and to assistv in aligning the elements properly. In addition to locating the elements in the reel the stop 30 in coming to rest upon the head of the reel will align the center of the grapple with the center.

of the reel.

Upper guide members 32 are disposed in pairs about the stop 30 and extend from the stop, where the members of each pair are secured adjacent each other, to the housing, where the members of each pair are secured to the flanges 28 at spaced positions from each other as illustrated in Fig. 1. These upper guide members, therefore, extend outwardly at denite angles and the upper portions thereof extend beyond the outer diameters of the reel to guide the reel and grapple into a container such as that illustrated at 34 in Fig. 2. The container 34 may be of the type shown in the copending application of S. P. McDaniels, Serial No. 194,047, led March 5, 1938.

In operating the grapple with the guiding device attached, it will be apparent that during the lowering of the grapple into a hollow article such as the reel 22 the lower guide members 24, due to the conical shape formed by the lower ends thereof, will cause lateral movement of the grapple to direct the engaging elements to the center of the reel and the cylindrical portion formed by the upper portions of the guide members will maintain the centering of the engaging elements and prevent their engagement with the reel during their downward movement. The stop 30 may engage the head of the reel at one point if the centers of the reel and grapple are not aligned, but further movement of the grapple downwardly will allow the stop to come to rest flush with the head of `the reel and cause accurate alignment of the grapple and reel. At this time the mechanism may be actuated to cause movement of the article engaging elements Il outwardly and due to the accurate positioning of these elements they will engage the reel simultaneously and at like positions to form a positive connection with the reel. The entire unit with the reel attached may then be raised upwardly and moved to a position above the container 34 and then lowered into the container. The upper guides 32, due to their angular positions extending to the outermost point of the housing of the grapple, prevent thefgrapple from engaging any 1"( portion of the container while lowering the reel `to a desired position therein. It will be apparent that the arms Il project outwardly beyond the upper guides 32 and these are not included in the aforementioned outwardly extending portions of the grapple due to the fact that they extend at definite angles and are self-guiding when lowered into the container.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited solely by the append-ed claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising guide members spaced for the movement of the elements therebetween and formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, and means to guide the article into a receptacle.

2. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, vthe guiding device comprising guide. members spaced from the movement of the elements therebetween and formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, and means to guide the article and grapple into a receptacle.

3. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising guide members spaced for the movement of the elements therebetween and formed to provide a conical tip to guide the elements into a hollow article, a stop member to limit movement of the guide members and elements into the article, and spaced members to secure the stop member and guide members to the grapple and serve to guide the grapple with the article into a receptacle.

e. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elem-ents, the guiding device comprising rods interjoined at their lower ends to form a conical tip for guiding the elements into a hollow article and spaced for the projection of the elements therebetween, and means to secure the rods to the grapple.

5. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising rods interjoined at their lower ends to form a conical tip for guiding the elements into a hollow article and spaced for the projection of the elements therebetween, an annular `stop to support the rods and limit movement of the rods and elements into the article, and means to secure the stop to the grapple.

6. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising rods interjoined ai; their lower ends to form -a conical tip for guiding the elements into a hollow article and spaced for the projection of the elements therebetween, an annular stop to `support the rods and limit movement of the rods and elements into the article, and spaced members to secure the stop to the grapple extending outwardly from the stop to guide the article and grapple into a receptacle.

7. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising guide members spaced about a vertical center line of the grapple to provide for the movement of the elements therebetween and formed to guide the elements into a hollowarticle, and guides extending angularly away from the said center line to positions beyond the extremity of the article to guide the article into a receptacle.

8. A guiding device for a lifting grapple having article engaging elements, the guiding device comprising guide members spaced about a verticall center line of the grapple to provide for the movement of the elements therebetween and formed to guide the elements into a hollow article, a stop to limit movement of the elements into the article, and guides extending angularly from the stop to positions beyond the outer periphery of the article to guide the article into a receptacle.

ROBERT R. POLLARD. WILSON W. REA. 

